Basketball

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The final Sunday in February was a pretty average workday in the life of Brad Underwood.

A long day of the mental and psychological chess game that is college basketball; more than 12,000 fans of the other team screaming down onto the court - a necessary piece that Underwood and his Illinois Fighting Illini seem to thrive off - as they outworked Michigan to the tune of 93-85.

There was a special feeling in the air as the final buzzer sounded.  Perhaps an acceptance of the lopsided nature of the matchup as the locals headed for the exits; Illinois winning its fifth in a row over the Wolverines, though this one without their suspended head coach Juwan Howard.  It was Illinois' 20th win of the season, a Big Ten-best 20th road win over the past three seasons, and the 200th victory of Underwood's coaching career.

Mike Cagley, IlliniGuy February 28, 2022 The Illini faced […]

Brad Sturdy, IlliniGuy February 27, 2022 The Illini continued […]

IlliniGuys Staff February 27, 2022 ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- […]

Connor Cagley, IlliniGuys Basketball Writer February 27, 2022 Essentials […]

Kofi Cockburn had a miserable night offensively, defensively and on the glass in Illinois’ 86-83 home loss to Ohio State on Thursday night.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 26, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The margin simply isn’t very wide for Illinois and following the 86-83 loss to Ohio State Thursday night, the program’s head coach made that point as clear as possible.

Illinois’ most likely destination for its first and second round games of the 2022 NCAA Tournament is the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 25, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- With 16 days remaining until the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed, otherwise unofficially known as Selection Sunday, the destination for Illinois’ first weekend is becoming clearer. 

Mike Cagley, IlliniGuy February 25, 2022 Tonight's game was […]

IlliniGuys Staff February 24, 2022 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - It […]

Illinois sophomore forward Coleman Hawkins has never been short on natural talent and ability but now he’s regained confidence and, subsequently, regained a role in this Illini rotation.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 24, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- It might be the height of irony that while at a university known for one of the nation’s best engineering programs, Coleman Hawkins is learning to calculate the basketball formula for work at Illinois. 

Connor Cagley, IlliniGuys Basketball Writer February 24, 2022 Essentials […]

Illinois senior forward Jacob Grandison has a professional basketball routine to get him through the ups and downs of a long season and, at 24 years old, sees no reason to change it now.  

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 24, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- When returning from Willard Airport from a late game at Rutgers last week, Illinois All-American center Kofi Cockburn needed to find Jacob Grandison at around 2 a.m. and had a decent idea where he was.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 23, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois freshman forward RJ Melendez will be inactive for the next game due to having emergency surgery to remove his appendix. 

IlliniGuys Staff February 22, 2022 If there is one […]

February 21, 2022

MADISON, Wisc. - Before Sunday afternoon, Juwan Howard epitomized the best of America.

He grew up on Chicago's South Side and became an All-American in his play and his personality as one of the faces of college basketball as part of Michigan's famous Fab Five.

He was a lottery pick by the NBA's Washington Bullets in 1994 and began a career that included an All-Star Game appearance and two league championships.  His playing tenure was so long that it began in Clinton's first administration and didn't end until Obama's second.  His talent was great enough to land him the first $100 million contract in league history.  The respect he commanded was so widespread that his transition from player to assistant coach was seamless and his eventual ascension to a head coaching position was a foregone conclusion.  It was a question of where and when, rather than if.

I have never met Juwan personally. But being close in age and having a number of friends in common and enjoying a lengthy career in the national media that paralleled his NBA years, I can tell you that I've never had anyone say a bad word about him, personally or professionally.

All which made his hiring as Michigan's head coach in 2019 a perfect fit.  A "Michigan man" through and through, he had the pedigree and the temperament not to mention the street cred that few other coaches enjoy.

Or so we thought.